Avery Brewing - Old Jubilation Ale

For the Tenth Beer of Christmas, we travel 26 miles to go from Arapahoe to Arapahoe.

Oddly enough, Great Divide Brewing, creator of last night's Hibernation Ale, is located on Arapahoe Street in Denver. Just 26 miles away, Avery Brewing, creator of tonight's Old Jubilation Ale, is on Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder.

The coppery chestnut brew forms a thick head of dense, tan bubbles. The lacing left behind on the glass as I drank was so think that it was more like icing than lacing. A moderate level of carbonation kept feeding the head so that a thin cap remained all the way to the bottom of the glass.

Hazelnuts, toffee, and rich malt dominate the aroma. Subtler tones of bread, vanilla, and alcohol slip in at random intervals.

Sweet malt and molasses comprise the basis of the taste palate. There's a very light touch of licorice that is almost masked out by a highly roasted malt bittering in the end. With the moderate carbonation, the beer comes off with a medium-full body and mouthfeel.  It's a very drinkable beer that would also be sessionable, however the high alcohol content might make that a little bit dangerous.

Aaron found it to be toasty and hoppy while Brandon remarked on the caramel flavor. Wyatt is back from his alien abduction but is still playing catchup on the beers.

Ratings

Aaron: 9
Brandon: 10
Wyatt: 8 (and he's back to reviewing now ...)
Tracy: 10

Stats
Brewer: Avery Brewing Company
Location: Boulder, CO
Website: http://www.AveryBrewing.com/
Style: English Olde Ale
Alcohol Content: 8.3% ABV
Interesting Note: As noted in my previous Avery review for Hog Heaven, Avery was started by a homebrewer turned pro.  Like Deschutes and Stone, Avery has a number of their recipes posted on their website for homebrewers. Among them is the Old Jubilation Ale recipe.  I may have to give this one a try myself.  http://averybrewing.com/brewery/recipes-for-homebrewers/

Great Divide Brewing Co. - Hibernation Ale

For the Ninth Beer of Christmas, we head to Denver for a taste of the Great Divide.

Great Divide (the brewerly, not the continental division of watersheds) brews a number of beers.  The one that always stands out in my mind is the large brown & beige bottle of Yeti that has even made its way into my local grocery stores. However, The Great Divide (the area that separates the watersheds) itself does have a great number of beers and breweries. But that's a subject for a different post.

Their seasonal offering, Hibernation Ale, creates a beautiful mahogany glass of beer with a thick head of light beige foam that leaves a trail of heavy lacing on the glass.

Toasted biscuit and mildly rough alcohol esters dominate the scent. There's a bit of hops, dark fruit (dates, figs, etc), and sweet malt, too. With the 8.7% ABV, I believed the alcohol would come through much stronger. It's there, but surprisingly mild. As I pulled the glass away after each drink, there was an additional surprise of a toast scent but without the biscuit.

My first thought when drinking this was "thick." It has a full body and a big, bold taste. The sweet malt in the aroma comes through double in the taste. But it's offset by a a combination of the alcohol and a strong dark chocolate flavor. I particularly enjoyed the complexity of the drink. Sweet in the beginning of the drink, changing to bittersweet mid-drink, and warming with alcohol in the aftertaste.

Despite the thick, full body and the thick head of foam, the carbonation was low through most of the drink.

Big & bold. Complex & warm (even at the 45°F I had it chilled to ... side note, the recommended serving temperature is in the mid 50s).

Aaron described the taste as malty with a hint of dark chocolate. Brandon went with malty and nutty. Both agreed that this is a very good beer (see their ratings on a scale of 1 to 12 below). Wyatt said that the only reason he didn't give it a 12 is because he couldn't drink lots of it at once.

Ratings

Aaron: 11
Brandon: 11
Wyatt: 11
Tracy: 10

Stats
Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company
Location: Denver, CO
Website: http://www.GreatDivide.com
Style: English Olde Ale
Alcohol Content: 8.7% ABV
Interesting Note: A 17 year veteran of Great Divide's line up, this fantastic beer has deservedly won a gold medal and three silver medals.  In addition, it comes in a whiskey barrel aged format that runs 12.4% alcohol.  I haven't seen one of these locally, but if I find one I will definitely grab it (and a couple of spares).

Alaskan Brewing Co. - Winter Ale

For the Eighth Beer of Christmas, we went north to Alaska, north because the rush is on.  Of course, our gold was a little different than Johnny Horton's.

Alaskan is another brewer that has recently made its presence known on my local shelves.  I've had their White and Amber brews. Their short, color coded bottles definitely stand out on the shelves.

The Winter Ale, brewed with spruce tips, pours up an amber gold with a small head.  Now, the photo doesn't really represent the head well. I had camera issues so the head was nearly gone by the time I snapped the photo.  The head, little though it was, dissipated quickly and the low carbonation did nothing to support it.

The aroma is nice.  Sweet with a touch of bread and peach.  It's very mild, though, and took some focused inhaling.

Given the style, I expected a bit more body. The beer feels thin.  I think it's probably the low carbonation.  I like the taste.  Lightly sweet with a touch of bubblegum and lemony hops.  The spruce is also evident.  Not that I've eaten a lot of spruce, but there's a unique flavor on the sides of my tongue and I have to label it as "spruce."  I was surprised that even with the fairly high alcohol content, about like a Winter Warmer, the beer lacked the warming sensation I assumed it would have.

Overall this is a nice beer, but not one I'm likely to go after on a regular basis. Of course, I wouldn't turn it down if it was handed to me.

Aaron & Brandon didn't think it had much carbonation and Brandon added that it tasted like a tree.

Rating:

Aaron: 5
Brandon: 7
Wyatt: (Still out partying for New Years? We might need to send a search party.)
Tracy: 6

Stats
Brewer: Alaskan Brewing Company
Location: Juneau, AK
Website: http://www.AlaskanBeer.com
Style: English Olde Ale
Alcohol Content: 6.4% ABV
Interesting Note: Alaskan put a fair amount of thought and effort into their brewing system to establish a sustainable and "green" system.  I could write all about their efforts to capture and reuse carbon dioxide from fermentation, spent grain fueled grain dryer, and mash filter press.  But they're already done a nice job of that here: http://www.alaskanbeer.com/our-brewery/sustainable-brewing/brewhouse-innovation.html.  Give it a read.